Dick Gross is a good Jewish boy, 50 years old. He lives with his wife, who has hitherto fortunately neglected to divorce him, 3 perfect children and two stupid dogs. Notwithstanding his Jewish background, Dick was educated at an Anglican school and sang much Catholic liturgy in the Australian Boys Choir.

There have been three phases to the career of Cr Dick Gross: public interest lawyer, media commentator and municipal leader (and now council hack).

Dick has a Bachelor and Masters of Laws. After his articles of clerkship, Dick became a corporate investigator with the National Companies and Securities Commission. He then left the financial world to help found and lead the Consumer Credit Legal Service. This was a service that provided advocacy and advice for low income consumers who had borrowed too heavily. Dick was notorious for his bizarre yet effective media techniques, which, despite their surreal aspects, led to significant law reforms. These antics included:

• A public hanging on the steps of Parliament (which led to the abolition of the Imprisonment of Fraudulent Debtors Act)
• A demonstration in Sammy Davis Jnr's press conference (which contributed to large financial company payments to consumers ripped off under by Electronic Sales and Rentals)
• A public dump of goods on finance companies screened on national television (which led to stopping of use of the insidious chattel mortgages)
• Initiating the first 'class action' in Australia
• Singing anti Christmas credit carols (in 4 part harmony) which aired on most television stations.

Dick's contribution was recognised by his membership of two State government inquiries into Debt Recovery and the Bailiff's Powers. He was also a consultant to the Australian Law Reform Commission on its Insolvency Reference and a member of the Market Court.

After the death of his parents, Dick left the law and entered the family business and then embarked on a media career. He was on two nationally networked television shows (Live at Five on the 9 Network and business commentator on SBS Dateline ). He was the Business Spy for Michael Schildberger on ABC Melbourne radio and many other gigs and newspaper columns on finance, personal investment and consumer affairs.

It was at the height of this short lived career that Dick had his first book published, Money for Jam, How to spread it and not make a mess in 1990. Mandarin published it.

Some of the plaudits for Money for Jam:

"A humorous, entertaining introduction to the topic of personal finance from a consumer perspective."

Choice magazine

"Funny, informative, easy to read and on your side."

Personal Investment magazine

". . . a great book. . . a readable introduction . . . no mean feat considering many of the moralistic and often boring guides to finance for the uninitiated."

Herald Sun

"A good $$$ read"

Family Circle

". . . excellent advice. . . a very enjoyable and stimulating book. . . If you wish to have a good story to tell, read this book."

Compak Resources (a publication of the Victorian Commercial Teachers Association)

Dick abandoned his financial media gigs to become a house spouse in Cambridge UK whilst his wife completed a PhD. Dick wandered amongst the dreaming spires and the Divinity School at Cambridge, looked after three children and completed two books. He co-authored Tricontinental: The rise and fall of a merchant bank in 1995 (Melbourne University Press).

And later he wrote Godless Gospel, published by Pluto Press in 1999. It was a look at what should go into a bible for atheists and other non believers. Godless Gospel was an attempt to find alternatives to those things that religions do well (or try to do well) such as:

• Death
• Mysticism
• Suffering
• Meaning
• Morality
• Belonging.

" ...brazen in its eclecticism, Godless Gospel is a terrific idea ... great."

The Age (The book was selected as The Age 'Pick of the Week')

"In his ‘bible for unbelievers’, Dick Gross tackles those tricky questions about human existence without invoking the Big Fella concept."

The Australian

" a must read for those interested in a non religious way to live."

Terry Lane with Jon Faine on ABC Melbourne Radio.

"Dick Gross is to be commended for his contribution to those who find themselves to be 'unbelievers'."

Melbourne University Post Graduate Magazine.

Since his return from Cambridge, Dick has been a councillor and three time Mayor of the City of Port Phillip. Once again he has served on law reform committees at the highest level, on topics as diverse as drug policy (the Penington Inquiry), street prostitution (the Attorney General's Street Prostitution Advisory Group), waste management (the Towards Zero Waste Working Group) and has been a director of both the local government peak bodies, to wit, the Municipal Association of Victoria and the Victorian Local Governance Association.

As a Mayor, Gross conducted campaigns on behalf of the City with his usual zeal and disdain for decorum. He campaigned so successfully on height control for the foreshore that he shared national and state public relations awards. His most notorious campaign was also a nationally and state awarded campaign and focussed on the evils of dog poo. This campaign was so indecorous that it went global and made the American CNN news and the front page of The Times.